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2 Peter 1:12
“Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.”
Having described Christian virtue and its importance for assurance (2 Peter 1:5–11), Peter now explains why he keeps pressing these truths on people who already know them. He does not apologize for returning to familiar ground. His audience already knows the truths he has been teaching; they are, he says, “established in the truth” (v. 12). And yet he intends always to remind them. The word “always” is striking, for it signals that teaching the truth is an ongoing pastoral commitment. Peter evidently regarded the repetition of foundational teaching as so important that he was willing to devote the remainder of his ministry to it.
Every seasoned pastor knows the importance of such repetition. Congregations do not need only new insights; they need old truths freshly impressed on their hearts. A church that is always chasing novelty will eventually drift from the foundation, while a church that is regularly reminded of the basics will stand firm when the storm comes. The Reformers understood this well, which is why they labored to produce catechisms that Christians could rehearse throughout their entire lives.
Repetition is necessary because the Christian life is lived in the midst of spiritual warfare. We forget; we drift. The pressures of daily life, the allure of temptation, and the subtle influence of false ideas conspire to erode convictions that we once held with clarity. What we learned in seasons of spiritual vitality can grow dim in seasons of trial or complacency. We need to hear the truth again and again, not because the truth changes but because we do.
Every Christian benefits from returning regularly to the foundational truths of the faith. Reading through familiar portions of Scripture, reciting catechisms, singing the great hymns of the church, hearing the gospel proclaimed week after week—these are signs of a healthy faith. The Christian who thinks he has outgrown the need for reminder is often the one most in danger of falling.
Peter does not simply want his readers to recall certain propositions; he wants those truths to shape their conduct. In the context of this letter, the reminder about holiness and assurance serves a very practical end: It prepares believers to recognize and resist the false teachers who are about to be described in chapter 2. Sound doctrine is our first line of defense against error, for when we know the truth well, counterfeits are easier to spot.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The gospel that converted us is the same gospel that sustains us, and there is no stage of maturity at which we may safely set it aside. Let us not grow weary of hearing the same truths but embrace the ordinary means of grace with fresh expectation, knowing that God uses repetition to deepen what He has begun.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 6:4–9
- Philippians 3:1
- 2 Timothy 2:8–14
- Hebrews 2:1–4
The bible in a year
- Psalms 2–3
- Acts 17:1–15